People
by jamespotteriloveyou
Summary: This was based on the prompt "I don't hate people, I just feel better when they're not around". Lily Potter makes a self-discovery about herself one night in Gryffindor tower.


**Disclaimer: As always, I'm not JK Rowling. Sometimes I like to pretend I am, but sadly I am not.**

A/N: Hey y'all! This is something I've had sitting in my computer for a while and decided I wanted to share it with you lovlies :) So I just wanted to make clear that this is a Next-Gen story just so no one gets confused. And btw, Alice is Neville and Hannah's daughter.

UPDATE: If anyone is rereading you'll notice that I changed a name in here. It's only because I like for everything I write to go together and I just decided that I wanted to change the name for future stuff.

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Lily Potter sat in the corner of the common room working diligently on her Arithmancy homework on the last day before the Easter holidays. She had declined Hugo's help, though she was sure he was secretly relieved because this gave him more time to spend with his girlfriend. She had her new WizPod on, listening to the newest hit from her favorite wizard-band Doxy Bite.

She gave a sudden jolt when a hand appeared and pulled the piece of parchment from her. She looked up and found a very familiar round face with brown eyes and short blonde hair. Her best friend sat in front of her wearing a flowy skirt and flouncy pink blouse- Lily would never have been caught dead in the frilly ensemble.

"Hullo Alice." She said removing her headphones.

"What are you doing in here Lil? It's the hols tomorrow-this isn't due until we get back." Alice said reading over the parchment.

"I'd rather get it done now than have to worry about it at home." She said shrugging.

"So did Miles ever catch up with you? I know he said he was looking for you earlier."

"Oh he did, alright. Thanks for ratting out my hiding spot-now I'll have to find somewhere else to evade him. He's so bloody annoying. I'm convinced he was dropped on his head when he was a child." Lily said twirling her quill absently.

"Oh he's not that bad. Annoying, yes but he's a nice enough bloke. Besides he said he just wanted help with the Potions work."

"I know that but I've got my own work to do." Lily said rolling her eyes, "And besides, he couldn't just come find me by himself-he had to bring that twit Saundra. Merlin that girl is stupid."

"You certainly seem to hate a lot of people." Alice said with a pointed look at her best friend.

"I don't hate people," Lily said frowning, "I just feel better when they aren't around."

"Why don't you come to the Room of Requirement with me? The party's by Gryffindor this time so it should be brilliant." Alice said returning her essay.

"No thanks. I'd rather not spend the night surrounded by all those bloody idiots. Like I said-better when they aren't around." She said motioning to the mostly-empty common room.

Alice sighed. "All right then. Well, I hope you change your mind. I really hate having to tell people that my best friend is a hermit." She said.

"Yeah, well my best friend is a cheeky little devil." Lily said grinning as Alice stood.

She returned to her Arithmancy and Doxy Bite, but found that she couldn't get past the last sentence she had read. In fact, she was sure she had read the sentence five times now and hadn't taken in a word of what the author had been trying to tell her.

Did people really think she hated them? Like she had said to Alice-she didn't hate people. She actually couldn't think of a single person she truly hated. She just felt better-more comfortable-on her own or around her close friends. It was probably the product of being Harry Potter's daughter. She had never liked the attention; she was quite like her father in that aspect. So, when people had started to pester her about her family she had withdrawn. Apparently now she had withdrawn so far into her solitude that people were starting to think she actually hated them. Sure Miles was an annoying little bugger and Saundra was as daft as Lily's quill but that didn't mean she hated either of them.

Lily huffed and pulled at the collar of her button down. Her uniform was getting hot and itchy so near the fire roaring in the fireplace. She sighed and left her things to change into a more comfortable pair of jeans and t-shirt. She found her things just as she had left them but with one major change; there was a boy sitting at the table now.

"Can I help you?" she asked as she approached.

"Oh-sorry. I didn't know if someone had forgotten their things or…" he trailed off.

Lily knew the boy from around the tower-he was a Gryffindor too- but she didn't know his name. Great, he probably thinks I hate people too.

"No," she sighed falling into her chair, "it's alright."

"You're Lily Potter right?"

"That's right-famous Harry Potter's daughter. No, I don't have any autographs so there's no need to ask." She spat.

She was aware that it was a bit harsher than the situation warranted but she was annoyed now.

"O-kay. Er, I'm Logan. I, er, I'm in your brother's year." He stammered.

"Yes, I'm aware." Lily said picking up her quill and going back to her essay.

"Er," Lily glanced up at him and he was looking rather sheepish, "I was wondering if I could study here. The other tables are full of first years playing Exploding Snap or else trying to figure out how to zoom things across the room and it's more than a bit distracting."

Lily studied him for a moment-he didn't seem like he'd be a distraction. She rolled her eyes and mumbled, "No problem" before going back to work.

They worked in silence for nearly two hours until Lily finished all of her work and stretched in her chair. Logan was still working on something- Ancient Runes it looked like- feverishly and Lily noticed that he was now wearing a pair of dark-rimmed glasses. She had the sudden urge to defend her earlier actions.

"I don't hate people, you know. I'm only rude because I don't like it when people only recognize me for my name." she blurted.

Logan looked up, a look of confusion and shock on his face. "Er, I don't think you hate people." He furrowed his eyebrows before he went back to his work.

"It's just-I didn't mean to snap at you earlier. I was thinking about how I don't like being recognized for my family and I just assumed. It was rude and I just don't want you to think that I hate people." She said quickly.

"Oh-I don't think anything." He said shrugging.

Lily narrowed her eyes at him-was he being a jerk or was he just trying to study? She just couldn't tell.

"So you don't think I'm rude?" she asked.

She noticed the boy sigh and put down his quill. He pulled off his glasses and leaned back in his chair and scrutinized her for a moment.

"I think you're closed off- I think you like being by yourself and that you prefer the company of your friends to that of people you don't know. But no, I don't think you're rude. A bit snarky maybe," he said chuckling a little, "but not rude."

Lily considered him. How had this boy-a complete stranger-figured her out so quickly?

"What about me? D'you think I'm rude?" he asked.

Lily was startled by this and she knew her face showed it.

"I don't think you're rude. I don't even know you."

He grinned and ran a hand through his sandy brown hair.

"I don't know you either."

"How come you're not off in the Room of Requirement?" she asked.

He shrugged, "I'm not a big fan of those parties. I'd rather hang out with my mates and do something stupid than make a fool of myself in front of the whole school. Besides-N.E.W.T.s are coming up." He said gesturing to his work.

"Oh, right. Sorry, I-I'll let you get back to work." Lily said blushing slightly.

She started to pack up her things but she felt a hand on her arm.

"You don't have to go." He said smiling.

Lily felt herself smiling too-why though? She didn't like spending time with people she didn't know.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked.

He shrugged, "Why not?"

He smiled at her and went back to his work. Lily dug out her little black notebook and started to scribble words in it absently. This boy wasn't so bad. Maybe she had been wrong to keep herself secluded from everyone else. Yes she had Alice and Elizabeth and of course Hugo and Rose, but how many other friends could she have if she put herself out there.

"I think I'd like to be friends with you Logan. That is if you don't mind." She said awkwardly.

He studied her for a moment. "Sure. We can be friends."

Logan smiled and went back to his work and Lily went back to her writing-maybe people weren't so bad.

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Another A/N: So thanks for reading! Reviews are yummy red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (my favorite :P)!


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